Ileana LaGrutta September 19, 2014 EDC 102H Academic Autobiography
The teachers that I have had throughout the years and the extracurriculars that I have participated in have no doubt shaped me into the person I am today. However, without a strong foundation and support system, I would not currently be where I am academically and personally. My number one support system is my parents, and if it weren’t for them, I would not be here at URI today.
Quite literally, I would not be here if it weren’t for my parents. I was born in Romania and adopted and if that never happened, who knows where I would have been. That being said, I would much rather look at this on a deeper level; on a level that is able to convey how much my parents truly have done for me throughout my life. Being an only child, the spotlight was always on me by default. Everything that my parents have done over the past 18 years has been for me and I could not be more grateful. When I was younger, they put me in every single extracurricular out there. Whether it was dance, sports, drama, or band, I did it all. I believe that by doing everything as a child, it has made me a well-rounded person. I am thankful that my parents did not just put me in sports in order to live vicariously through me and replay their childhood dreams, rather, they gave me the chance to explore my interests and to choose what I like and what I do not like. Even though I do not do dance, drama, or band anymore, I have grown to appreciate things of that nature such as Broadway shows.
My parents did not just turn me into a well-rounded person. They also encouraged me in everything that I did. When I decided that I no longer wanted to participate in band, drama, or dance, they supported my decision 100%. They knew that I loved sports and that that was what my calling truly was. If it were not for them hauling me all over the place in order to play or coming to pick me up from late night practices, I would have never developed some of the character traits that I possess due to my participation in sports. As I’ve said in my other pieces, sports taught me a whole lot about dedication and perseverance that has translated into my school work and my everyday life. With that being said, I would not have had the chance to recognize these things about myself if it were not for my parents encouraging me every step of the way throughout my sporting career.
Lastly, and most importantly, my parents have supported me academically, as well. In our house, school was always the number one priority. Being surrounded by a world of athletes, my parents and I often saw other parents putting way too much emphasis on their children's sports and not enough emphasis on their grades. After all, the “student” in student-athlete comes first for a reason. Even in the midst of running from place to place on a school night, they would always make sure that my homework was done. My parents would actively get involved in my academics when I was younger, as well. For example, whenever I would have a quiz, they would always quiz me the night before until I got every single answer right. In our household it was work before play and looking back now, I thank my parents for instilling this concept in my head from a very young age. Because of this, my work-ethic yielded a ton of play-time.
Although my parents may not be at college with me right now, they are still very much involved in my schooling. One way would be financially. My parents have always emphasized that my main concern right now is school and to not worry about working; they will pay for the expenses until I have a career and can fully support myself. Also, my parents have access to my grades here which shows that they still do care about what I am doing. Of course they do not know every little thing that is going on in my life here and quite frankly, I do not think that they need to worry about it. Because of all of the emphasis they put on school when I was younger, they do not need to worry that my work-ethic will suddenly go away when a little bit of freedom is introduced into the picture.
My parents have been my rock throughout my entire life. By encouraging me to try everything, supporting me in sports, and constantly emphasizing the importance of a good education, they have absolutely created the person I am today. Although they may not physically be here with me, the lessons and morals that they instilled in me will live on forever.
September 19, 2014
EDC 102H
Academic Autobiography
The teachers that I have had throughout the years and the extracurriculars that I have participated in have no doubt shaped me into the person I am today. However, without a strong foundation and support system, I would not currently be where I am academically and personally. My number one support system is my parents, and if it weren’t for them, I would not be here at URI today.
Quite literally, I would not be here if it weren’t for my parents. I was born in Romania and adopted and if that never happened, who knows where I would have been. That being said, I would much rather look at this on a deeper level; on a level that is able to convey how much my parents truly have done for me throughout my life. Being an only child, the spotlight was always on me by default. Everything that my parents have done over the past 18 years has been for me and I could not be more grateful. When I was younger, they put me in every single extracurricular out there. Whether it was dance, sports, drama, or band, I did it all. I believe that by doing everything as a child, it has made me a well-rounded person. I am thankful that my parents did not just put me in sports in order to live vicariously through me and replay their childhood dreams, rather, they gave me the chance to explore my interests and to choose what I like and what I do not like. Even though I do not do dance, drama, or band anymore, I have grown to appreciate things of that nature such as Broadway shows.
My parents did not just turn me into a well-rounded person. They also encouraged me in everything that I did. When I decided that I no longer wanted to participate in band, drama, or dance, they supported my decision 100%. They knew that I loved sports and that that was what my calling truly was. If it were not for them hauling me all over the place in order to play or coming to pick me up from late night practices, I would have never developed some of the character traits that I possess due to my participation in sports. As I’ve said in my other pieces, sports taught me a whole lot about dedication and perseverance that has translated into my school work and my everyday life. With that being said, I would not have had the chance to recognize these things about myself if it were not for my parents encouraging me every step of the way throughout my sporting career.
Lastly, and most importantly, my parents have supported me academically, as well. In our house, school was always the number one priority. Being surrounded by a world of athletes, my parents and I often saw other parents putting way too much emphasis on their children's sports and not enough emphasis on their grades. After all, the “student” in student-athlete comes first for a reason. Even in the midst of running from place to place on a school night, they would always make sure that my homework was done. My parents would actively get involved in my academics when I was younger, as well. For example, whenever I would have a quiz, they would always quiz me the night before until I got every single answer right. In our household it was work before play and looking back now, I thank my parents for instilling this concept in my head from a very young age. Because of this, my work-ethic yielded a ton of play-time.
Although my parents may not be at college with me right now, they are still very much involved in my schooling. One way would be financially. My parents have always emphasized that my main concern right now is school and to not worry about working; they will pay for the expenses until I have a career and can fully support myself. Also, my parents have access to my grades here which shows that they still do care about what I am doing. Of course they do not know every little thing that is going on in my life here and quite frankly, I do not think that they need to worry about it. Because of all of the emphasis they put on school when I was younger, they do not need to worry that my work-ethic will suddenly go away when a little bit of freedom is introduced into the picture.
My parents have been my rock throughout my entire life. By encouraging me to try everything, supporting me in sports, and constantly emphasizing the importance of a good education, they have absolutely created the person I am today. Although they may not physically be here with me, the lessons and morals that they instilled in me will live on forever.